nubreed000 - you have a point and I understand what you’re saying ... but I try not to focus on the “hard earned money (we spend) to watch MILLIONAIRES play ...” because I think it skews our attitude on the whole thing, making it difficult to get any satisfaction at all ... unless they sweat blood for us, leaving it all on the floor (which we would like, but it’s not realistic, I don’t think) While what you say is true, focusing on it makes us - consciously or not - ‘blame’ the players for the very large contracts that they agree to ... when really, what they’re being paid is relative to what everybody else in the league is getting paid. In other words, it’s not their fault that they make millions of dollars doing what they do ... so, I try to not make it a part of the equation.

Vellassco - I looked at the picture, but I didn’t understand what you were referring to.

Raptor Jesus - artfully said (I liked the “Boo has sonic elegance” - lol) ... and that’s all I got. I don’t disagree.

Apollo - fair enough. (Once again.)

Deadallus - I can’t disagree with what you said here. If the players really have ‘thrown the coach under the bus game after game ...’ who should be held responsible for that? I gotta say it’s on the coach. And yes, the fans here are good fans, no doubt at all, maybe among the best anywhere. I’m not blowing smoke - I’m one of the fans here, and I think all in all, we compare well with any fan bases that I’ve seen or been a part of. But if I had my druthers, we’d just boo less and cheer more ... even when we’re getting pounded ... well, to a degree, anyway. I just don’t like booing our own guys. As I see it, it’s not far from shooting ourselves in our own foot.

I guess we'll just agree to disagree. Especially if you blame the coach for being thrown under the bus, which is complete nonsense. Players hold all the power in this league and it wouldn't be the first time a team has hung a coach out to dry.

On a side not has anyone watched the 30 for 30 on Reggie Miller. Its amazing how pu$$y this league has become in about 15 years. I miss that kind of basketball. Especially when our team tops the softy list.

Deadallus - well, before I agree to ‘agree to disagree’, I’ll explain the premise behind saying that it is, or might be, the coach’s fault for the players throwing his own damn self under the bus.

Basically, it comes down to it being that the coach is who he is, and the particular dynamic that exists that allows himself to be in a position where the players can actually choose to throw him under the bus ... and then do so (if that’s indeed what has happened, here**), it is only because the coach himself has allowed that dynamic to exist.

Edit: ** I never thought the team threw Triano under the bus, btw. Still don't.

(In other words) if Phil Jackson or Larry Brown (say) was the coach of this team, is it likely that this team could (if they wanted to) throw either of them under the bus? I could be wrong, but I have to say, no, I don’t think so.

So ... that’s what I mean when I say ‘it’s the coach’s fault’.

To your side note about that ESPN show on Reggie Miller ... yes, I saw first, a part of it and I commented very similarly to what you said here, somewhere in the Forum here or over on the main RR page. (Later, I had a chance to watch the whole hour and a half - I think - and it was fantastic!) After watching the part of it that I saw the first time, it made me pine for a Raptors team that would have whatever it takes to go out there on on the floor with an attitude of refusing to lose. I said as much and someone pointed out that with all the rule-changes since then, we couldn’t see that kind of basketball, even if we had the players that were willing to play that way. I dunno ... but it’s too bad, if that’s true.

Its tough to be a fan, no individual voice can be heard over the crowd... And when our collective vocabulary is Boo, DE-Fence, and AHHHASHALK*CLAP*AFHAJK*AHHHHH we don't got much to express ourselve with.